Shephatiah son of Mattan, Gedaliah son of Pashhur, Jucal son of Shelemiah, and Pashhur son of Malchiah heard the words Jeremiah was speaking to all the people:

Then Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashur the son of Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken unto all the people, saying,

This is what the LORD says: Whoever stays in this city will die by the sword, famine, or plague. But whoever goes out to the Chaldeans will live; they will escape with their life and survive.

Thus saith the LORD, He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live.

This is what the LORD says: This city will surely be handed over to the army of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it.

Thus saith the LORD, This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon's army, which shall take it.

The officials said to the king, "This man must be put to death, because he is discouraging the soldiers who remain in the city and all the people by speaking these words to them. He is not seeking the welfare of this people, but only their harm."

Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let this man be put to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them: for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.

King Zedekiah replied, "He is in your hands. The king can do nothing to oppose you."

Then Zedekiah the king said, Behold, he is in your hand: for the king is not he that can do any thing against you.

So they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah by ropes. There was no water in the cistern, only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud.

Then took they Jeremiah, and cast him into the dungeon of Malchiah the son of Hammelech, that was in the court of the prison: and they let down Jeremiah with cords. And in the dungeon there was no water, but mire: so Jeremiah sunk in the mire.

Now Ebed-Melech, a Cushite, an official in the royal palace, heard that they had put Jeremiah into the cistern. While the king was sitting at the Benjamin Gate,

Now when Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, one of the eunuchs which was in the king's house, heard that they had put Jeremiah in the dungeon; the king then sitting in the gate of Benjamin;

Ebed-Melech went out of the palace and said to the king,

Ebedmelech went forth out of the king's house, and spake to the king, saying,

"My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have thrown him into a cistern, where he will die from hunger, since there is no longer any bread in the city."

My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon; and he is like to die for hunger in the place where he is: for there is no more bread in the city.

The king commanded Ebed-Melech the Cushite, "Take thirty men from here with you and lift Jeremiah the prophet out of the cistern before he dies."

Then the king commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he die.

So Ebed-Melech took the men with him and went to a room under the treasury in the palace. He took some old rags and worn-out clothes from there and let them down to Jeremiah in the cistern with ropes.

So Ebedmelech took the men with him, and went into the house of the king under the treasury, and took thence old cast clouts and old rotten rags, and let them down by cords into the dungeon to Jeremiah.

Ebed-Melech the Cushite said to Jeremiah, "Put these worn-out rags and clothes under your arms to pad the ropes." Jeremiah did so,

And Ebedmelech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah, Put now these old cast clouts and rotten rags under thine armholes under the cords. And Jeremiah did so.

and they pulled Jeremiah up with the ropes and lifted him out of the cistern. And Jeremiah stayed in the courtyard of the guard.

So they drew up Jeremiah with cords, and took him up out of the dungeon: and Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.

Then King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and had him brought to the third entrance to the temple of the LORD. "I am going to ask you something," the king said to Jeremiah. "Do not hide anything from me."

Then Zedekiah the king sent, and took Jeremiah the prophet unto him into the third entry that is in the house of the LORD: and the king said unto Jeremiah, I will ask thee a thing; hide nothing from me.

Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "If I give you an answer, will you not put me to death? And even if I did give you advice, you would not listen to me."

Then Jeremiah said unto Zedekiah, If I declare it unto thee, wilt thou not surely put me to death? and if I give thee counsel, wilt thou not hearken unto me?

But King Zedekiah swore an oath secretly to Jeremiah, "As surely as the LORD lives, who has given us breath, I will neither put you to death nor hand you over to those who want to kill you."

So Zedekiah the king sware secretly unto Jeremiah, saying, As the LORD liveth, that made us this soul, I will not put thee to death, neither will I give thee into the hand of these men that seek thy life.

Then Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, "This is what the LORD God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, your life will be spared and this city will not be burned down; you and your family will live.

Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; If thou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon's princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house:

But if you will not surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, this city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians, and they will burn it down; you yourself will not escape from their hands.’"

But if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon's princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand.

King Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "I am afraid of the Jews who have gone over to the Babylonians, for the Babylonians may hand me over to them, and they will mistreat me."

And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews that are fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they mock me.

Jeremiah said, "They will not hand you over. Please listen to the voice of the LORD in what I am telling you, so that it may go well for you and your life will be spared.

But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the LORD, which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live.

But if you refuse to surrender, this is the word the LORD has shown me:

But if thou refuse to go forth, this is the word that the LORD hath shewed me:

"All the women who are left in the palace of the king of Judah will be brought out to the officials of the king of Babylon. They will say to you: ‘Your trusted friends have misled you and have overcome you. Your feet are sunk in the mud, and they have turned away and left you.’

And, behold, all the women that are left in the king of Judah's house shall be brought forth to the king of Babylon's princes, and those women shall say, Thy friends have set thee on, and have prevailed against thee: thy feet are sunk in the mire, and they are turned away back.

They will also bring out all your wives and your children to the Babylonians. You yourself will not escape from their hands but will be captured by the king of Babylon, and this city will be burned down."

So they shall bring out all thy wives and thy children to the Chaldeans: and thou shalt not escape out of their hand, but shalt be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon: and thou shalt cause this city to be burned with fire.

Then Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, "Do not let anyone know about these matters, or you may die.

Then said Zedekiah unto Jeremiah, Let no man know of these words, and thou shalt not die.

If the officials hear that I talked with you and come to you, saying, ‘Tell us what you said to the king and what the king said to you; do not hide it from us, or we will put you to death,’

But if the princes hear that I have talked with thee, and they come unto thee, and say unto thee, Declare unto us now what thou hast said unto the king, hide it not from us, and we will not put thee to death; also what the king said unto thee:

then tell them, ‘I was pleading with the king not to send me back to Jonathan’s house to die there.’"

Then thou shalt say unto them, I presented my supplication before the king, that he would not cause me to return to Jonathan's house, to die there.

All the officials did come to Jeremiah and questioned him, and he told them everything the king had ordered him to say. So they said no more to him, for no one had heard the conversation.

Then came all the princes unto Jeremiah, and asked him: and he told them according to all these words that the king had commanded. So they left off speaking with him; for the matter was not perceived.

And Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard until the day Jerusalem was captured. And it happened when Jerusalem was taken.

So Jeremiah abode in the court of the prison until the day that Jerusalem was taken: and he was there when Jerusalem was taken.